Photo: alexbach.de
Dr. Iris Seidemann
Organizing for Sustainability
I am a Senior Research Associate (Postdoc) at the Chair for Organization Studies at the University of Hamburg and currently Co-PI of REBUMAA, a €5.8 million international project on climate adaptation and social innovation in West Africa.
My research explores how organizations navigate strategic tensions and paradoxes when tackling complex global challenges. I focus on the intersection of public, nonprofit, and private organizations, with a particular interest in the governance of such cross-sector collaborations.
I’m especially drawn to the dark sides and unintended consequences of organizational responses to grand challenges. Using a practice- and process lens, I study how organizations act under pressure, particularly in crisis situations and extreme contexts.
My work has been published in journals such as Organization Theory, Public Management Review, and Public Administration Review.
Beyond my research, I am deeply passionate about educating critical thinkers. I have over five years of experience teaching management and organization courses at the bachelor's, master's, and executive levels.
News
EGOS 2025: Creativity that Goes a Long Way
It was a pleasure to join EGOS as a convenor for the first time. In Sub-theme 40: Practicing ‘Natural’ Disasters: Creating, Managing, and Reconstructing the ‘Natural’ Disasters Ecosystem within Everyday Practices, together with Paula Jarzabkowski (University of Queensland) and Fannie Couture (HEC Montréal), we explored and problematized the everyday practices that underlie so-called “natural” disasters. A heartfelt thank you to our participants for their inspiring contributions and for bringing their ideas to life through such creative and compelling posters.
New Publication in Public Administration Review on Network Governance in Crisis
Together with Kristina Weißmüller and Daniel Geiger, I explore how legitimacy and crisis governance are tightly connected. Our study, based on the 2015 refugee crisis in Berlin, shows how legitimacy erodes gradually and how network leadership plays a crucial role in either stabilizing or undermining crisis response. We highlight both the promise and the perils of networks, including risks like accountability gaps and “network drift” that can accelerate legitimacy loss.
AOM 2025: Join Our PDW on the Ethical Challenges of Grand Challenges Research
Together with Daniel Geiger, I am organizing a PDW at AOM 2025 titled "Race to Extremes? Unpacking Ethical Questions and Dilemmas in Grand Challenge Research."
We invite scholars to critically reflect on the ethical risks and tensions that arise when researching crises, extreme contexts, and societal “grand challenges.”
Through an expert panel and interactive roundtables, we will explore dilemmas around academic impact, research risks, and the responsibilities of scholars in sensitive or autocratic environments.
Join us in this timely conversation on how to navigate the ethics of doing research that matters.
Social Impact & Valorization
I actively engage in valorization and knowledge transfer as part of my work, ensuring that research findings are effectively translated into practical applications and policy impact. I focus on bridging academia and real-world applications through dissemination, stakeholder engagement, and strategic collaborations.
These activities include:
- Collaboration with Red Cross Societies in Uganda (2021–2022) and Nigeria (2023–2025), in partnership with IFRC
- Workshop on the 121 Platform for Cash Aid Delivery with The Netherlands Red Cross (2025, Lomé)
- Research for Impact Approaches in CLARE, 2024: Focus on citizen science
- 12th Global Dialogue Platform on Anticipatory Action, 2024, Berlin: Panel Anticipatory Action: Explorations of Who Is Left Behind and How to Close the Gap
- Climate Adaptation & Resilience (CLARE) Knowledge Brokering Workshop, 2024, Nairobi: Translating climate adaptation knowledge for policymakers
- Panelist at the Adaptation Futures, 2023, Montreal: Climate Adaptation & Resilience
- The Benefits of Acting Early in Disasters, 2021: Cost-Benefit Analysis on the Effectiveness of Forecast-based Finance versus Emergency Response
Ethnography in East and West Africa
My research focuses on the emergence and management of tensions and paradoxes within organizations and systems, particularly in the context of tackling grand challenges. Through ethnographic fieldwork in West and East Africa, I study how the Red Cross engages in climate adaptation practices, specifically focusing on innovative technologies like forecast-based financing. This qualitative, practice-based approach allows me to observe firsthand how actors navigate challenges through everyday routines and sense-making. Working in extreme and complex environments has strengthened my cultural competence, resilience, and deep understanding of the humanitarian aid sector.
Community Engagement
I am an active member of the organization and management studies community, particularly within the paradox community, where I foster dialogue and collaboration. I emphasize organizational and community citizenship, actively supporting scholarly exchange, mentorship, and the advancement of collective knowledge.
This engagement includes:
- Co-convenor EGOS Subtheme 40 “Practicing Natural Disasters” (with Paula Jarzabkowski & Fannie Couture)
- Organizer of PDWs at the Academy of Management,
- Co-organizer of the Paradox Mentoring Program
- Co-organizer of the PREP (Paradox Research Education Practice) Conference
- Postdoc Representative on the Board of the Graduate School, University of Hamburg
- Facilitator at the EGOS Paper Development Workshop (East Africa, 2023)
- Member of EGOS and the Academy of Management (OMT, PNP, SAP)
- Reviewer for Organization & Environment, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Theory, Journal of Management Inquiry, Public Management Review, Information and Organization